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November 15
1800s *1886 - In the first major league trade ever, the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association deal rookie catcher Jack Boyle and $400 to the St. Louis Browns for outfielder Hugh Nicol. *1888 - In Los Angeles, the All-Americans of Al Spalding beat Chicago, 7–4, in the final game on the tour. Spalding's group sets sail for Australia. *1889 - The Kansas City Cowboys also drops out of the AA. *1895 - Future Hall of Famer Cap Anson makes his stage debut in A Runaway Colt. Aside from forgetting a few lines Anson does quite well. 1900s 1910s 1920s *1922 - Former Providence Grays outfielder Paul Hines is arrested on charges of pick pocketing. The 69-year-old Hines made a famous play in a game on May 8, 1878: the first unassisted triple play in major league history, a rare feat has only occurred 12 times after that. 1930s *1933 - The Philadelphia Phillies trade slugger Virgil Davis to the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Jimmy Wilson, who will be the new Phillies manager. 1940s *1945 - The baseball rules are revised for election of modern players to the Hall of Fame. A runoff election is formulated as a way to qualify more players for selection, but it fails to meet its objective as no one reaches the 75 percent requirement in the runoff. Former players Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Miller Huggins and Ed Walsh come closest. *1946 - Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams is picked Most Valuable Player in the American League. A week later, the National League names Cardinals’ Stan Musial for the honor. 1950s *1951 - The Baseball Writers Association of America name Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees as American League Rookie of the Year. The Chicago White Sox object to McDougald's accolade, offering the statistical accomplishments of their superlative rookie, Minnie Miñoso. 1960s *1960 - A $3.5 million offer for the Kansas City Athletics is accepted from a St. Louis group and the sale of the 52% stock by the widow of the late Arnold Johnson is expected tomorrow. A sale of the remaining minority stock is expected. *1961 - For the second consecutive year, New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris is named American League Most Valuable Player. The new single-season home run record holder with 61 edges his teammate Mickey Mantle by four votes, 202-198. Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles finished third with 157. *1962: **Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale wins the National League Cy Young Award, outpolling Jack Sanford of the Philadelphia Phillies with 14 of 18 votes. **The Chicago White Sox release 299-game winner Early Wynn enabling him to deal with other clubs to reach the 300 career victory milestone. *1967 - Future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox is the overwhelming selection as American League MVP. He receives all but one first place vote in the balloting, going the other vote to Minnesota’s César Tovar. Yastrzemski, who led the AL in batting average (.327), home runs (44) and RBI (121), becomes the most recent major leaguer to win the Triple Crown. 1970s *1972 - Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox wins the American League MVP Award by an overwhelming margin over Joe Rudi of the Oakland Athletics. Allen led the AL in home runs (37), runs batted in (113), walks (99) and slugging average (.603). *1978 - Pirates outfielder Dave Parker wins the National League Most Valuable Player Award, 320-194, over Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey. Parker had 30 home runs with 117 RBI and league-leading figures in batting average (.334), slugging percentage (.585), and total bases (340). *1979 - Minnesota Twins pitcher David Goltz, who had a 14-13 mark with a 4.16 ERA, becomes the first MLB player to be selected by the maximum thirteen teams in the first round of the free agent draft. Goltz will sign a six-year, three-million dollar contract with the Dodgers. 1980s *1982 - Shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles is named the Most Valuable Player in the American League. Ripken, who led the league in hits and runs scored, becomes the first major league player to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in back-to-back seasons. *1988 - Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson wins the National League MVP Award, edging out New York Mets OFs Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds. Gibson hit .290 with 25 home runs and just 76 RBI. *1989 - Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals becomes the fourth pitcher ever to win the American League Cy Young Award twice, getting 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes for his 23 wiins, 2.16 ERA season. Previously, he won the award in the 1985 season. 1990s *1995 - The Arizona Diamondbacks, who will not begin play until the 1998 season, sign Buck Showalter to a seven-year contract as manager. Showalter had guided the New York Yankees to a wild card berth in 1995, but left the team after it lost its first-round playoff series. *1998 - Houston sign the 1996 National League MVP and free agent third baseman Ken Caminiti to a multi–year contract as the Padres championship team begins to come apart. 2000s *2000 - Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics, who hit .333 with 43 home runs and 137 RBI, wins the American League MVP Award edging out two-time winner White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, who had .328, 43, 112. *2001 - New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, who posted a 20-3 record with 213 strikeouts and a 3.51 ERA, wins the American League Cy Young Award for an unprecedented sixth time. Previously, Clemens captured the award with the Red Sox in 1986-87, 1991, and the Blue Jays in 1997-98. He becomes the first Yankees pitcher to win the award since 1978 when Ron Guidry copped the honor. In the 2004 season, Clemens will win his seventh Cy Young in the National League with the Houston Astros. *2002 - Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Bob Melvin is selected as the 12th manager in Seattle Mariners history. Melvin is replacing Lou Pinella, who asked to be release from his contract to take a job closer to his home and will pilot the Tampa Bay Devil Rays next season. *2004: ** San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who is the only player to be the National League Most Valuable Player more than three times, is named by the Baseball Writers Association of America for a record seventh time, including an unprecedented fourth consecutive season. Bonds finished 2004 with a .362 batting average, 45 home runs and 101 RBI. Winning the honor at the age of 40, Bonds surpasses Willie Stargell (39) as the oldest player to win the award. ** A lawsuit by former Montreal Expos owners against MLB and former majority owner Jeffrey Loria was struck down by arbitrators, ending legal moves to keep the Expos in Montreal. *2005: **St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols earned the National League MVP Award edging Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones. Pujols was among the NL leaders in most hitting categories and finished with a .330 batting average, 41 home runs and 117 RBI in guiding the Cardinals to the best record in baseball at 100-62. He received 18 of 31 first-place votes in balloting conducted by the BBWAA, outpointing Jones 378-351. Jones hit .263 and led the league with 51 home runs and 128 RBI. He won his eighth consecutive Gold Glove as the Braves claimed their 14th consecutive division title despite playing 18 rookies and losing third baseman Chipper Jones for about a third of the season because of injuries. **After months of deadlock, leaders of Major League Baseball and the players union reached an agreement to clean up a performance-enhancing drug scandal that has tarnished the nation's pastime and left lawmakers worried about young athletes imitating the wrong role models. It will require baseball players to submit to several drug tests each year, during and between seasons, and will impose lengthy suspensions for steroid and amphetamine use. Repeat offenders can be banned for life. The agreement, which must be ratified by both the players and baseball owners, is similar to a proposal offered earlier this year by baseball commissioner Bud Selig. **Hideki Matsui and the New York Yankees agreed on a four-year contract worth $52 million to the Japanese outfielder. The sides faced a November 15 deadline after which Matsui would go on waivers and be prevented from rejoining New York until May 15, 2006. **The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have decided Los Angeles Angels bench coach Joe Maddon is the right man for the job. Maddon becomes the fourth manager in team history, ending a six-week search for Lou Piniella's replacement. Births *1888 - Pat Ragan, pitcher (d. 1956) *1914 - Mickey Livingston, catcher (d. 1983) *1928 - Gus Bell, All-Star outfielder (d. 1995) *1964 - Daryl Irvine, pitcher *1967 - Pedro Borbón, Sr., pitcher *1972 - Darwin Cubillán, pitcher *1973 - Kevin Gryboski, pitcher *1973 - Brian Dallimore, infielder *1976 - Greg Jones, pitcher *1983 - Craig Hansen, pitcher Deaths *1929 - Billy Nash, infielder (b. 1865) *1969 - Billy Southworth, player and manager (b. 1893) *1973 - Phil Todt, infielder (b. 1901) *1983 - Charlie Grimm, player and manager (b. 1898) *1985 - Riggs Stephenson, outfielder (b. 1898) *2003 - Earl Battey, All-Star catcher (b. 1935)